phkc070408

I was thinking about this earlier this week and coincidently saw that a few other people had similar concerns.

With the limited number of Polaris fitted aircraft and them being mixed in (772 and 763) with the current fleet, the chances of an aircraft swap are higher than normal and thus seat assignments will get jockeyed. Are there any strategies to selecting your ideal seats on a regular aircraft and not getting moved to an undesirable seat if the aircraft is changed to a Polaris aircraft?

For example, my wife really likes window seats. On the pmCO 772, we normally pick 1KL if it's available. If the plane were swapped with the Polaris aircraft, we would like two window seats, even if one of them is an even numbered seat. Getting moved into the middle section of the plane would not make us happy.

Other reasons for selecting a particular seat are the larger footwells, proximity to the galley / lav and the light, traffic, and noise around those seats, etc.

I was thinking a good basis for this thread would be to try and figure out if there is a pattern as to what seat on a non-polaris aircraft gets moved to on a Polaris aircraft. Also to be discussed could be how to handle when you are moved to an un-ideal seat, especially on a flight with a full J cabin and no where to move to.

UA_Flyer

My partner and I were in 8AB (PmCO 772) and got reassigned to 9 AD (77W).

EWR764

I went from 1K to 1L on a more recent 763 Polaris swap.

Kmxu

There was a HD-777 thread about seat changes a while ago while the HD conversion was underway. It seemed that it was difficult to find a pattern.

StuckinITH

For a recent flight, booked on a three class 772, I had seat 10H. Two days prior to the flight, plane was switched to a Polaris converted 772. United assigned me seat 11G. I switched my seat to 3A. My wife was upgraded at that point and chose 3L. Then in the morning of our flight, the plane was switched back to the three class 772. United assigned me seat 10A and my wife had no seat. At the airport, after a lot of permutations (changes made at the check-in desk, Polaris Lounge and at the gate), I got 10C and my wife 6J.

On the return flight, booked on a three class 772, I had seat 7H and my wife seat 6H. Two days prior to the flight, plane was switched to a Polaris converted 772. United assigned us seats 4D and 3G. We immediately switched our seats to 3A and 3L.

For both flights, when the switch was made from a three class 772 to the Polaris converted plane, the seats in the middle were all assigned, leaving many empty window seats that then could easily be chosen.

chavala

Expert Flyer is your friend here

avi8tir

Is there someplace that shows what seat number your PMCO seat will become if the aircraft gets swapped for a Polaris 763?

I.e. I am in 1D on PMCO and if it gets swapped for Polaris 763, 1D will become XX. etc etc.

I want to make sure I dont get stuck in one of the angled seats..... like a friggin coffin.

qfrodo

I've been in 1D twice when switched to Polaris, First time I was moved to 1L. Second time it was 3F, but later 3L opened and I move to that. So don't think there is a hard and fast correlation, probably depends on the status of your traveling companions on the flight and some algorithm they run.

Wombat1

I've been switched from 1D to 2D when the aircraft changed to a Polaris configuration. I was less than thrilled as it seemed to me that 1D (non-Polaris) ought to have mapped to 1F (Polaris). Worst yet, the aircraft then was switched back to a non-Polaris configuration and I found myself in 2B with 1D occupied by someone else. Fortunately, 1A was unoccupied so I was able to at least change to a seat with a larger than average footwell.

StuckinITH

At least from these examples it seems that the switches for the 763 keep the passengers close to their original seats. My one experience for the 772 was way more spread out in the cabins. Original seat in the 772 was 6J. Switched to a converted 772 put me in 11G. I switched myself to 3A. Switch back to a non converted 772 put me in 10A. Every seat was taken by that time. Then, at the airport, I requested switch to 10B and two hours later to 10C when those seats opened.

Kacee

lol that's a good one!

Whatever number the monkey hits with the dart.

dmurphynj

... to be completely pedantic, Continental never operated 767-300's. They had ordered a few of them at the same time as their 757's but never actually flew them. I think they got so far as being painted... so there may be a rogue photograph out there of a 767-300 in Continental colors, but it never flew for them ...

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Well, to be completely, completely pedantic, OP did phrase it this way, "...Is there someplace that shows what seat number your PMCO seat..." (bolding mine). Didn't UA retrofit the 763s w/ pmCOs BF seats? If so, there is a pmCO seat on a pmUA plane that might get swapped to a Polaris equipped a/c .

dmurphynj

Ha! I haven't been on a 763 in a long time... last time it was actually in a GF seat, so I stand (or, rather, sit) corrected!

athome

I am going to fly with a family of 3 on UA 767-300 in C class. Seatmap actually shows LieFlat ac configuration. Actually reserved seat 1D, 1L and 1K.
How are seats re-allocated in case of ac configuration change to Polaris?